1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a data processing methodology and a means for the implementation of such methodology. More specifically, this invention concerns itself with methods for the promotion of brand name products and services (including store brands) through the use of an advertising medium which is based upon a combination of sponsor and consumer input. This invention has application in diverse environments with the principal utilization criteria being the consumer's need to compose an integrated listing of elements in the form of an individualized package from among a selection of products and/or services of unrelated supplies (sponsors). In a typical supermarket environment, this invention can be implemented on a consumer accessible terminal which has been programmed with appropriate brand name specific data and complimentary application software. The consumer can select from among the available choices on the main program menu and submenus which appear on the terminal display, store his interim selections in a non-volatile memory (ie work file) within the terminal, edit his interim selections and eventually retrieve them in a recipe file card format and/or an integrated shopping list. In both of these formats, the individual ingredients are specified by brand name (to the extent of sponsor participation).
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the modern supermarket, the inventory of available items offered to the consumer can often number in excess of 10,000. Brand recognition and favorable shelf placement are thus imperative for effective distribution of such consumer products; especially where the amount of time and care exercised in making of a consumer purchasing decision is limited and the presence of competing products can created confusion and/or distraction. Accordingly, the effective marketing of such consumer products in the supermarket environment requires extensive advertising, visually attractive packaging, and incentives (i.e. coupons) to influence the consumer purchasing decisions. The consumer selection process in this environment, is thus determined primarily by brand recognition and the favorable placement of the product on the supermarket shelf. As is readily apparent, the established methods for influencing consumer purchasing decisions favors the established brand name products and the larger companies with substantial advertising budgets. The lesser known brands are, thus, permanently subordinated to the "majors" in both consumer identification and in the exposure received in the retail environment. The barrier to effective competition and to effective entry of new products into the marketplace from an unestablished source is thus formidable; and, at best the prospects for success of such new entrants are marginal. The net effect is reduced competition, limited selection, and higher prices to the consumer.
From the consumer viewpoint, especially the busy career-oriented individual, the process of meal planning, creation of shopping lists, and selection of products by brand name is becoming an increasingly time consuming and unnecessarily complicated task. As of the present, there is nothing currently available to the consumer to provide the needed assistance to expedite the planning, selection, and ultimately, this purchasing process. The busy career-oriented individual, even if he/she had the time, is not particularly interested in scouring newspaper advertising and/or coupon mailings for shopping suggestions. Moreover, even if he/she were so inclined, these advertisements and promotional mailings generally only feature a single product or a limited selection of products. It still remains for the consumer to build a meal plan around one or more of these featured items, identify recipes in which such items can be used, coordinate the selection of additional ingredients needed to supplement this recipe and, ultimately, compose a shopping list. If the consumer has the time and patience to proceed to this point in the meal planning process, he/she is still required to estimate the quantities of the items needed for each serving of each recipe in the meal plan, and to adjust his purchasing plan depending upon whether the numbers of the servings provided by a particular recipe correspond to his/her individual needs.
At the present time, there is available to individuals who own personal computers, software packages which can assist in this meal planning process. One such package entitled, THE MICRO COOKBOOK, (available from Virtual Combinatics of Rockport, Mass.), provides a simple, but somewhat cumbersome method to assist in the composition of a meal plan. The menu selections available on this software package are indeed quite limited, however, include suggestions for recipes for utilization of ingredients on hand, as well as, for composing a shopping list. This software also permits the user to add recipes to the existing recipe file. Each of the recipes in the file also include instructions on preparation of the dish from the listed ingredients. The number of servings of a particular recipe can also be adjusted to suit the individual user's needs. When a shopping list is desired for a meal plan having a number of dishes, the program will produce an integrated shopping list, identifying each of the items required to prepare all the dishes of the meal plan. Unfortunately, this software does not assist the consumer in the making of a purchasing decision, nor does it have the capability to suggest or identify the possible substitution of a convenience (prepared) food item for one requiring involved preparation.
Accordingly, even the limited number of consumers, who own or have access to both a personal computer and a software package of equivalent capability to THE MICRO COOKBOOK, will ultimately base their selection of the individual items for recipes of the mean plan upon brand recognition and/or favorable shelf placement in a supermarket. Thus, the relatively little known consumer products (and oftentimes less expensive) go largely unnoticed even though they could be readily substituted for one having more prominent shelf placement and a more attractive package.
The difficulty in creation of brand recognition in the consumer marketplace also presents a formidable task for the established distributors of consumer products. The time and expense required to launch a new product is continually increasing and thus, prevents a formidable barrier to the number of new entrants which can be effectively introduced into the marketplace within a given period of time.
The difficulties described above, with respect to composition of a shopping list for groceries are indeed trivial in comparison to consumer participation in the selection process for planning an itinerary for a trip; or in the composition of an estate/investment/retirement portfolio from the various offerings of underwriters of such investment services. It is thus apparent, that the more specialized or complicated the selection process, the less likely that the consumer will fully participate in this process. This increased dependence of the consumer upon the judgements of others further frustrates the individual in the exercise of effective control over decisions which are material to his individual needs and preferences.
Thus, there is a continuing need to provide the means to assist distributors of consumer products and services in increasing the consumer awareness of their offerings in a way that is both cost effective and will be well received by the purchasing public. There is also a continuing need to provide assistance to the consumer in the planning of his purchasing decisions in a manner whereby such planning process can be effected within a minimal period of time and yet provide an effective method for conscious selection of his purchases from a brand name specific shopping list of goods and/or services.